Previous devices for assistance in selecting cosmetics are generally characterized as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,334. A customer is exposed to a video camera which, in turn, has its output viewed by a beauty advisor. Based upon that independent review, a selection of appropriate cosmetics is displayed and a desired cosmetic is selected. Such a device is extraordinarily complicated requiring a video camera and the experience and judgment of an additional advisor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,320 relates to a colorimeter for the measurement of transmitted, reflected, emitted and incident light. In a similar fashion, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,311,293 and 5,313,267. The patents in general relate to an instrument for selecting personal compatible colors. However, the devices are extremely complicated and in some respects have little or nothing to do with the cosmetic industry or pertain to the selection of a cosmetic that can be useful for manually matching skin color with the selected cosmetic color, such as from a database of selected cosmetics varying in color.
Other patents that relate in general to color selection and/or cosmetics are as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,596,390; 3,809,785; 4,160,271; 4,351,591; 4,403,963; 4,434,467; 4,561,850; 4,678,338; 4,838,697; 4,842,523; 4,917,500; 4,968,253; 5,013,244; 5,090,910; 5,124,547; 5,128,708; 5,150,791; 5,157,465; 5,172,146; 5,178,169; 5,229,841; 5,236,365; 5,237,401; 5,276,508; 5,283,061; 5,296,945; and 5,302,883.
None of the references describe a simple device that easily identifies a customer's color, complexion, hue, or pigmentation, and to assist the customer in selecting a color from a database of wearables which will match the skin color or another object of interest to the customer. In particular, none of the references suggest the above in the absence of an intermediate counselor.